The Northeast Passage is situated in the Arctic Ocean between the BarentsSea and the Chukchi Sea, north of Russia and includes the Dmitry, Laptevand Sannikov Straits. The United States conducted oceanographic surveys ofthe area during the summers of 1963 and 1964. During the 1963 survey, theUSCGC Northwind (WAGB‑382) collected data in the Laptev Sea; during thefollowing summer, USS Burton Island (AGB‑1) surveyed in the East SiberianSea. On July 21, 1964, the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented to theAmerican Embassy in Moscow the following aide mémoire regarding the BurtonIsland voyage:The Chief Administration of the Hydro Meteorological Service of the Council ofMinisters, USSR received a communication from the Embassy of the USA on theforthcoming Arctic sailing of the US military ice‑breaker Burton Island and therequest to transmit to the ship information on hydrometeorological conditions.Precise information on the Burton Island's route has not been received from theEmbassy. In the event that this ship intends to go by the northern seaway route,then it is necessary it take into consideration the following:The Northern seaway route is situated near the Arctic coast of the USSR. Thisroute, quite distant from international seaways, has been used and is used onlyby ships belonging to the Soviet Union or chartered in the name of the NorthernSeaways, the opening up, equipping, and servicing of which the Soviet side for aperiod of decades has spent significant funds, and it is considered an importantnational line of communication of the USSR. It should be noted that the seas,through which the northern seaway route passes, are noted for quite difficult iceand navigational conditions. Mishaps of foreign ships in this line of communicationscould create for the USSR as well as for a bordering state, a series of complicatedproblems. Therefore the Soviet Union is especially interested in all thatdeals with the functioning of the given route.It should also be kept in mind that the northern seaway route at some pointsgoes through Soviet territorial and internal waters. Specifically, this concerns allstraits running west and east in the Karsky Sea. Inasmuch as they are overlappedtwo‑fold by Soviet territorial waters, as well as the Dmitry, Laptev and SannikovStraits, which unite the Laptev and Eastern Siberian Seas and belong historically tothe Soviet Union. Not one of these stated straits, as is known, serves for internationalnavigation. Thus over the waters of these straits the statute for the protectionof the state borders of the USSR fully applies, in accordance with which foreignmilitary ships will pass through territorial and enter internal sea waters of theUSSR after advance permission of the Government of the USSR, in accordancewith stipulated regulations for visiting by Foreign Military ships of territorial andinternal sea waters of the USSR published in “Navigation Notifications” (IzvesticheniyakhMoreplavatelyan). In accordance with these regulations the agreement for entry of foreign military vessels is requested through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs USSR not later than 30 days before the proposed entry.Although the notification of the proposed sailing of the American ice‑breakerBurton Island was not received in the fixed period, the Soviet side in this specificcase, is…
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